Italian Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 0.5 pounds bulk mild Italian sausage
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1 container part-skim ricotta cheese , 15 ounce
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 jars marinara sauce , 24 ounce
• 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles , 9 ounce
• 1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1 package shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese , 16 ounce
• 0.5 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. 2

   Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat and cook until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. 3

   To make béchamel sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook until light and foamy, about 2 minutes, whisking constantly; whisk in milk, a little at a time. Whisk in salt and nutmeg. Bring sauce to a bare simmer, whisking constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.

4. 4

   Beat egg in a medium bowl; stir in ricotta cheese and parsley until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

5. 5

   To assemble lasagna, pour about 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top sauce with 4 lasagna noodles, overlapping if necessary. Layer 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, followed by 1/3 of the sausage, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1/4 of the béchamel sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 more cup marinara sauce over noodles. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with a final layer of noodles topped with remaining marinara sauce, béchamel sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil.

6. 6

   Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and noodles are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake until the top cheese layer is browned, about 5 more minutes. Allow lasagna to stand for 10 minutes before cutting.